Yuletide OneShots
by tyl ashke
Summary: It's Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. How will these Bleach couples spend it? IchiHitsu, IchiRen, ByaUki, ByaRen. 4 unconnected one shots under the same fic title.  More detailed information on each fic in the first chapter.
1. Summary

A Series of Yuletide One Shots (Non-related)

NOTE: All stories are set after the Winter War but deviate from canon thereafter. This means that it does not follow the current Arc (Ichigo regains powers).

If you are not interested in reading all the pairings, please only go to the chapter with the correct pairing you are interested in. The fics are NOT related. Titles, pairings, ratings and summaries are as follows:

**Growing Up**

PG; IchiHitsu; Ichigo goes to Soul Society on Christmas Eve to get together with Toushirou. [FLUFF]

Dedicated to cryptonomicon for her very interesting IchiHitsu drabbles, for entertaining me and inspiring me during my monster IchiHitsu BigBang fic - Skating on Thin Ice.

**It's Worth the Wait**

M; IchiRen; Ichigo waits for Renji in the Human world for dinner and dessert on Christmas Eve. [SLIGHT ANGST, SMUT]

My first ever IchiRen. Hope it doesn't disappoint. Dedicated to all the wonderful IchiRen authors on LJ, including but not limited to spikykun , pb_cookie , writerx75 , akuni , jazz_trousers for all your fics that have been excellent reads and saiyanzrepublik for her remarkable Ichi and Ren art.

**Letting Go**

PG; ByaUki; Byakuya and Ukitake take half a day off on Christmas Day and reflect. [ANGST]

Dedicated to my occasional beta argentum_luna for 'luring' me into the Bleach fandom and for her wonderful art. ^^

**Holiday Plans**

PG; ByaRen; Byakuya and Renji head to the Human world for a short vacation over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. [FLUFF]

Dedicated to rii_no_ame for all her wonderful fics, especially her ByaRen(s) and KaienShuu, and for being around. Somehow I think Byakuya ended up a tad OOC here. :/ I blame the muse.


	2. Growing Up

**Growing Up **- IchiHitsu pairing

Feeling the familiar reiatsu, Toushirou looked up from his paperwork before lowering his head to the document yet again. The substitute was some distance away from his Division and he hoped to finish reading the report on his hands before Ichigo arrived.

That was not to be though. "Tai-cho!" Rangiku's cheerful voice rang out in the office they shared; it was evident she had felt the barely suppressed reiatsu as well. "It looks like someone's here for a visit again."

Looking up, the white haired Captain caught sight of the grin on his blonde Lieutenant's face as she stood before his desk, a stack of paperwork in her arms. "I won't bother the both of you then," she continued, placing the documents neatly on one side of his table.

"I'm off to the Ninth. Hisagi-taicho's treating us to drinks tonight. You're both welcome if you want to join us. Otherwise, don't stay too late."

"Hn." He briefly leafed through the papers as she turned and made her way to her desk. Calling out to no one in particular, Rangiku continued before stepping out of the door, "Maybe I should bring my camera again tomorrow…"

Pink crept up his face as he yelled, "Matsumoto!" "Bye Taicho," the door closed with a 'click' behind the blonde and the white haired Captain breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his Lieutenant had not decided to stay.

She had caught Ichigo and him wrapped in each other's arms, sleeping soundly on the sofa in their office one morning and had taken pictures. He had not known until the pictures were featured in a copy of the Shinigami Women's Association's monthly newsletter.

In the two years that had passed since the Winter War, things had almost returned to normal. Aizen had been captured and locked away while they nursed their wounds. In fact, it was not actually entirely accurate to say that things had returned to normal – there had been many small but significant changes since the ending of the war.

His Lieutenant was a good example. Rangiku had become more hardworking but had not lost most of her cheerful nature. Hisagi had achieved his bankai and been promoted to lead the Ninth, while Abarai now led the Fifth. The Third had remained without a Captain though.

_Hinamori_… Toushirou sighed, running his fingers through his hair. His childhood friend had survived their attacks under Unohana-taicho's dedicated care but had retired following her recovery. She had returned to Junrinan and Granny, where she had slowly but surely picked up Granny's skills and was now running a small shop selling various confectioneries.

Moments later, he felt the familiar reiatsu outside his office and returned the report to its stack on his desk. He could deal with it tomorrow. Turquoise met brown as he looked open when the door slid open.

"Hey."

"…Kurosaki, you need to improve your control over your reiatsu."

Ignoring the familiar complain, the substitute Shinigami continued, "Anyway, here are the reports you wanted. Where's Rangiku?"

"She went over to the Ninth."

"I'll just leave this on her desk then," Ichigo replied, holding up a small present.

"What's that?" The Captain asked, curious and a little jealous that his boyfriend had brought his Lieutenant a present.

"It's… er… a little something that she told Rukia she'd liked."

From the slight stumble in his words, Toushirou had already picked up that there was something Ichigo was not telling him and continued with his questioning. "So, why are you getting her a present this year?"

The blush that followed confirmed his suspicions. "I… er… owe her one for taking that photo."

"You… what!" Turning the full force of his glare on the orange haired boy in front of him, he muttered softly, "No wonder she threatened to bring her camera again tomorrow."

"Well, I couldn't help it. That was the first photo of us together and besides," Ichigo replied, shrugging his shoulders, "you looked cute in that picture."

Crossing his arms over his chest, the Captain growled, "Kurosaki, I am not cute for the last time." Unfortunately, that was spoiled by a growl from his stomach.

"Toushirou, dinner then?"

Unable to resist Ichigo's radiant smile, Toushirou uncrossed his arms and stood after a moment. He arranged the papers on his desk briefly before heading for the door; Ichigo grinned as he followed behind.

After dinner at a restaurant, they found themselves back in his house in Seireitei, sharing a bar of his favourite white chocolate that the substitute had brought over from the Human world.

Cuddling against his slightly warmer boyfriend, the white haired Captain sighed in contentment as he nibbled on a piece of white chocolate, carefully listening to Ichigo's update on how things were going on in the Human world.

"…anyway, I saw this in the shop that I bought Rangiku's present. It reminded me of you, so I got it as well. Merry Christmas, Shirou!" Taking out a small white box with a silver ribbon around it, Ichigo smiled as he handed over the present to the Captain nestled against his shoulder.

Noting the surprise in the turquoise gaze, the substitute continued, "Go on, open it. You should know I came over so I could celebrate Christmas with you."

Tugging on the ribbon that unravelled easily, the white haired Captain opened the small box and took out the silver chain and crescent pendant. "…Thank you, Ichigo."

The smile that greeted his was enough proof that the substitute knew how much he appreciated the gift.

While Ichigo had been assigned as Human world liaison and to report to him, he had not noticed the crush the orange haired substitute had on him initially. It had taken him some time to realise his own feelings and they had only really gotten together over the past half a year.

On a cursory visit to the Human world several weeks ago, he had been surprised by all the decorations in the various houses and shops. After he had learnt about Christmas, the white haired Captain had put it upon himself to find a good Christmas gift for his boyfriend and after much consideration, had decided on a gift.

Shifting slightly and sitting upright, Toushirou met Ichigo's warm brown gaze. "There's something I want to tell you. I'm sorry I don't have anything for you for Christmas but-" He glared at his boyfriend momentarily as Ichigo tried to interrupt. "I've decided to look for Kurotsuchi to see what he can do with this body."

Despite his real age, his body seemed to have stopped growing. Even though growth was generally slow in Soul Society, he had already passed the age a normal person would have attained the body of an adult, yet was still stuck in a child's body. It had not been a huge issue to him – he had grown used to the jokes and Unohana-taicho had said that he was perfectly healthy, until recently.

_He had been sleeping when he was awoken by Ichigo's hand ruffling his hair softly. "You know, Shirou, you do look like jailbait… It bothers me some times when I'm kissing you that you look this young even though you aren't." With his eyes firmly shut, he listened to his boyfriend's soft whispers as he rambled to himself. _

"_I really like you though, so… Well, never mind. It's enough to have you like that already. Good night." He felt the brush of soft lips against his cheek, before warm arms embraced him. _

"What? You can't be serious. You've no idea what the fuck he could do to you." Ichigo leapt to his feet, scowling as he glared down at the Captain sitting on the wooden floor.

"My mind's already made up. He wouldn't dare to do anything anyway. I've asked Unohana-taicho to observe the proceedings just in case."

"But that doesn't guarantee that he won't try-"

"Kurosaki, stop," he interrupted the substitute. "Doesn't it bother you that I still look like a kid? Don't you think it bothers me that I look like a kid too?" He watched as surprise, understanding, then finally grudging acceptance flashed across the orange haired teenager's face.

"…fine then. Tell me when you do?"

As Ichigo sat down, looking slightly uneasy before wrapping his arms around the white haired Captain in a tight embrace, Toushirou could almost feel what he had left unsaid. _I'm worried, worried because Kurotsuchi is a creep, because anything could happen…_

Leaning into the embrace, the white haired Captain placed his arms around the substitute's neck before placing his lips on Ichigo's. He almost missed the whispered "Thank you, Shirou," after he pulled away and snuggled up against the substitute's warm chest.

With a muscular arm around his middle, they sat together, munching on the remainder of the white chocolate, watching as light snow fell from the night sky, laying a gentle blanket over everything.


	3. It's Worth the Wait

**It's Worth the Wait** - IchiRen Pairing**  
**

"Damn it, where the hell is Renji?" Ichigo muttered to himself as he paced around his small apartment. The redhead had promised to spend Christmas Eve with him a month ago, but that seemed to have not worked out after a message that morning.

"_Sorry Ichi, there's an urgent mission I have to go out on. It should be done quickly though. I'll see you later."_ A few hours ago, he had received another message, _"I'm almost done. I'll be down soon, I promise."_ That was the last he had heard from the redhead.

Looking at the clock, then down at the specially engineered cell phone that could receive messages from Soul Society Urahara had made, Ichigo could not help but feel worried. Ever since losing his powers in the battle two years ago, the only Shinigami he had seen relatively regularly had been Renji, and that had been Renji in his gigai.

Rukia had only visited twice in the past three years, and had actually expressed surprise that Renji, finally promoted to a Captain, managed to visit him more often. She had been promoted to the Thirteen's Lieutenant and had found herself unbelievably busy.

Still, between his friends and Renji, he had kept abreast of affairs in Soul Society. However, without his powers, he felt a pang of worry every time he heard of Renji going on a mission – he would not be able to help if anything happened.

'_Stop worrying. He's going to be fine.'_ "That's it. I'm hungry. If you're not here in fifteen minutes, I'm going to start with you." Speaking aloud to the steamboat and food on the table, Ichigo scowled, having already waited for forty-five minutes. He was in his first year of college and lived out a small apartment in Tokyo he had rented, only a five minute walk from his school.

Minutes passed and the hour's time limit he had decided on was up. Stretching as he stood up from his chair, Ichigo took a few steps over to where the phone was lying. _'No messages.'_ Walking around his apartment – the few steps took only several seconds – he finally made up his mind. _'He's not going to be coming.'_ "That's it. I'm going to start."

As if triggered by his announcement, the doorbell suddenly rang. He made his way to the door and looked through the peephole. _'Renji?'_

"Sorry I'm late, Ichi. The train was delayed." The redhead replied once the door opened.

Scowling, Ichigo retaliated with silence, his feet thumping on the wooden flooring as he made his way to the table. Renji closed the door behind him, dumping a bag on the floor and shedding his coat and muffler quickly, before heading for the table.

The orange haired teenager was already cooking his food when the redhead seated himself. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting; you must have been hungry. Itadakimasu!" Picking up the chopsticks, Renji tucked into the spread of food before him, picking up a piece of meat and waving it several times in the hot soup.

Beneath his calm expression, Ichigo seethed. _'Doesn't he realise that I was fucking worried about him and he comes in with a simple apology and it's settled?'_ Moments later, he listened as the redhead started recounting his journey.

"…I mean, I can't believe how many fucking people were on the streets. It was so fucking difficult getting around. It would've been so much easier to shunpo over if not for…"

"If not for the fact I wouldn't be able to see you?" Ichigo replied with biting sarcasm. Standing suddenly, he put down his chopsticks with a clatter. "I'm done."

The next moment, he felt Renji's hand grab his arm. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Ichi? You've been weird since I got here."

'_Tell me what took you so long to get here. Tell me that I shouldn't have been worried. Tell me it's okay that I don't have my powers any longer.'_ Instead, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Nothing's wrong."

"Don't deny it. There is something wrong and I'm not fucking letting you go until you tell me what's up, especially not after I spent two fucking hours trying to get your present." Not even noticing the redhead's grip on his arm tightening, the only thought that echoed in his mind was, _'You spent two hours getting my present?'_

He did not even realise he had voiced the thought until he heard Renji's reply. "It was… hard trying to get it. The first store I tried didn't have something suitable so I went through a couple of stores before I found it. I forgot to bring my fucking phone after rushing out from my office, so I didn't manage to contact you. So, will you tell me now what the hell is wrong?"

Ichigo flushed slightly as Renji's brown eyes met his. "It's really nothing… it's just something stupid." The second sentence came out as a whisper, as he tried to pull his arm away from the redhead's grasp.

"Tell me, or I'm not letting you go." Renji smirked, pulling the teenager closer to him.

"… It's nothing really… I was just worried that something happened to you."

"Again? I didn't quite catch you."

"I was fucking worried about you, you idiot. I don't have any powers to get you out of any mess you find yourself in, bastard. Can you hear me already?" Scowling, face still flushed, Ichigo practically shouted in the redhead's ear before he felt his arm being let go.

"There's no way I'll get into that much trouble. I'm a Captain now, remember? Now that you've let it all out, are you up for a second round of dinner?" Glaring at the grinning redhead, Ichigo sat down and picked up his chopsticks.

"For you." Looking at the piece of meat Renji placed in his bowl, the teenager scowled before returning the favour, placing the piece of meat he had just cooked into the redhead's bowl.

Before long, the dinner had become a competition to see how fast they could cook and feed the other party. It ended in a stalemate.

"Here." Ichigo dumped a rectangular box, covered in shiny wrapping paper on Renji's lap before sitting down next to the redhead. They had cleared the coffee table and done the dishes before getting their gifts ready.

He watched as the redhead unwrapped it quickly before turning to him with the sunglasses perched on his forehead and the largest goofy smile on his face. "Thanks, Ichi! They're damn cool."

"Well, they were the most badass pair I saw." He had known the pair of Oakleys were perfect the moment he caught sight of them, even though it had taken him several months to save up enough to get them.

"Yours." Looking into the bag Renji handed him, Ichigo took out a rectangular package and gave it a shake. "Don't spoil it." '_Spoil it?'_ "I'm opening it then." Removing the Christmassy wrapping paper, the teenager was surprised when he spotted the brand on the box.

"Ren, you bought this? It fucking costs a bomb." Opening the box carefully, Ichigo took out a brand new stethoscope, running his hand along the smooth rubber. "You didn't have to."

"Well, I asked the lady at the shop what a medical student would need and she recommended this. The shop didn't have one that looked good, so I went around before I got this. It looks good on you. Don't worry about the cost though; I'm a Captain now, I've got more allowance."

Punching the grinning redhead lightly on his arm, Ichigo then replaced the stethoscope in its box carefully. "Thanks, Ren. I'll only need this next year though, but I'll definitely keep it safely." With that, he headed into his room, placing the box on a shelf.

Turning, he found that Renji, a smirk on his face, had followed him into his room. "Ren?"

"Ya know, Ichi. You didn't prepare dessert tonight, which only means you'll have to be mine." The next moment, the teenager found soft lips crushed against his, while Renji's tongue probed eagerly at his.

Opening his mouth to allow it entrance, he met it with his own, before the two battled for dominance. As Renji's large hands wormed their way under his T-shirt, his hands had found the tie that held the redhead's hair back. Releasing it, he ran his fingers through smooth, blood-red hair before raising his arms and allowing the redhead to remove his T-shirt.

As their mouths met, their hips grounded together. Between the layers of denim and cloth, he could feel the redhead rock-hard – the friction was driving him crazy. Breaking apart suddenly, he moaned a protest when Renji put his tongue to his nipple.

The teen bit back another moan as the redhead turned his attention to the other before licking his way down his abdomen. When Renji finally unbuttoned his jeans before tugging them off with his briefs to release his aching arousal, Ichigo could not help but whimper with need. "Renji."

Quickly stripping off his clothes to expose the dark tribal tattoos that had been replicated on his gigai, Renji pushed Ichigo down onto the bed, before taking his arousal into his mouth. He licked and teased the swollen organ, making the teenager moan and whimper.

"Fuck! Ren- I'm gonna…" As soon as he uttered the words, the pleasure that coursed through his system suddenly stopped. Through hazed eyes, he spotted Renji grinning before leaning in for another kiss, tongue-on-tongue.

"It's time ya did something too." Renji teased, licking at his ear after his whisper. "I want ya ta stretch yourself for me."

Despite the blush on Ichigo's face, he reached over and slid open a drawer on the side table. Opening the cap to the bottle of lube, he met the redhead's equally glazed over eyes as he coated his fingers, before manoeuvring into a sitting position. Making small circles around his entrance, he hissed as his first finger entered, feeling the cool lube.

Moving his finger in and out slowly, Ichigo then inserted another finger while maintaining the same pace. With a scissoring motion, the teen inserted a third finger, before increasing the pace slightly, biting down on his lip as the fingers brushed his prostate.

Renji, who had been watching at the side and languidly stroking himself, saw the need in Ichigo's eyes as he heard him trying to stifle his moans. "Ichi, fingers out now."

Sitting down on the bed, he coated his cock liberally with lube and patted his thighs before watching as the teen crawled over with his pert ass in the air and member weeping. Locking lips as the orange haired student lowered himself on his hard cock, he heard the teen gasp and groaned as he found himself sheathed tightly within the teen.

"Ichi, you're fucking tight."

Pausing for a moment as he got accustomed to Renji – it had after all been two months, Ichigo took a breath before he started moving. Once, then twice, he rose then lowered himself, with Renji's arms wrapped around his lower back. The third time, he felt the redhead hit his pleasure centre and writhed as pleasure blossomed.

"Ren… fuck… me."

Pushing him down on the bed, Renji placed Ichigo's legs on his shoulders before thrusting in and out slowly, building up his speed gradually. Wrapping his hand around the teen's weeping member, he stroked it in time with his thrusts.

As pleasure pounded his body, Ichigo knew he had reached his limit and with a "Fuck!" he came; seconds later, he felt the redhead reach his climax as well. Sated with pleasure, he leaned into Renji's kiss as bells rang out in the distance.

"Merry Christmas, Ren."

"Merry Christmas, Ichi. Up for another round?" Renji grinned.

"Fuck yeah. You know I can never get enough of you, Ren." The grin on Ichigo's face matched the one on the redhead's as their lips locked in a tender kiss.


	4. Letting Go

**Letting Go** - ByaUki Pairing**  
**

"Abarai, I have a lunch appointment and will be taking the rest of the day off. I will leave the rest to you."

"Yes, Taicho. Thank you for your work today."

Satisfied that everything was in place, the black haired noble left his office and headed back to his residence. He did not want to keep his fellow Captain waiting.

As he had expected, the white haired Captain was already there and waved off his apologies with a smile. "It is not a problem, Byakuya. After all, it is your sister I have to thank for handling matters in my absence."

"Shall we have lunch then?" He then asked. The senior Captain nodded and he immediately gave discreet instructions to the nearby servant. They strolled past neatly landscaped gardens, blanketed by a thin layer of the whitest snow, before entering the room that had been prepared.

It offered a view of the largest garden and the koi pond he favoured. As they seated themselves, two servants entered, each bearing a tray of food on a small table that was placed before them. The soft murmur of "Itadakimasu" did not escape him as he followed suit, before picking up lacquered chopsticks and beginning on the appetizer.

They chatted over lunch, starting first with the proceedings of the last Captain's meeting then the agenda for the next. Moving on, one dish at a time, their conversation progressed.

It came as no surprise when his counterpart mentioned Christmas – it was after all Christmas Day. Soul Society saw no need to keep up with the festivals of the Human world, although he had seen some Shinigami celebrate the festival as well.

"Rukia suggested I take the rest of the day off, saying it was Christmas. She's been chatting about it since last month. I trust you have heard about it."

"I have. She gladly informed me about it after Kurosaki brought her around during the festival. Apparently, it is a joyous occasion where they exchange gifts and meet up with family and friends."

Ukitake chuckled. "Well, I prepared presents with Rukia's help – just something simple, like candy, which I'm also sending to Hitsugaya-taicho and Kusajishi-fukutaicho. I have also prepared a simple gift as my thanks for this lunch."

Glancing at the corridor, the white haired Captain caught the eye of the servant, who then presented an elaborately decorated box to the black haired Captain. "Thank you, Ukitake-taicho. Would it be fine to serve this for tea later?"

Smiling, the Captain replied in the affirmative as their conversation continued.

Ukitake smiled to himself as he followed behind Byakuya. The noble's routine was familiar to him; it had not varied over the past century. When he was around, there were only two possibilities – they would either retire to a room for a game of chess or he would follow Byakuya to the room with the shrines, before continuing with their conversation.

This time, he followed in silence as the noble took the longer route to the shrine room. Sliding open the door, the white haired Captain watched while the noble bowed as he entered the room, before taking a seat along the corridor.

With a view of the Zen garden that fronted the shrine room and open doorway that led into the room, the senior Captain leaned against a pillar and watched as Byakuya lit a stick of incense before kneeling in front of a particular shrine that he had come to be familiar with.

Eyes closed and sitting ramrod straight in a kneeling position, the noble remained there, still as though he was sleeping. Gazing out over the stones and rocks that made up the garden, Ukitake allowed himself the time to reflect as well.

He knew that the noble was remembering his deceased wife; he on the other hand recalled his former Lieutenant. Shiba Kaien had been an excellent man, husband and Shinigami. Though he had not experienced the same amount of guilt as his current Lieutenant who had been the one to grant him a merciful death, somewhere deep down, it still bothered him that he had not been able to prevent the young man's unfortunate death.

It had been a pity and despite how much he had experienced, his Lieutenant's death still remained deeply ingrained in his memory. It had been a fight, a fight for his pride and his beliefs, but one that his Lieutenant had lost.

That was what he and Byakuya had in common – they both had something they had been unable to let go of. He barked out a bitter laugh that almost passed for one of his coughs before returning to his silent contemplation.

He knew the noble was done when he heard the door close with a soft 'click'. Standing, he met the cool grey gaze before following silently behind Byakuya. They passed several corridors before stopping in front of a small garden, swept clean of the snow.

"Tea?"

"Yes, please." He replied, before turning to the bamboo water feature at one side of the garden. The soft _'thunk'_ of the bamboo beat out a regular rhythm, complimenting the neat garden, while the traces of snow sparkled as they reflected the warm afternoon sun.

Two _'thunks'_ later, the servant had returned with two small tables, the box of confectioneries, two porcelain cups and a pot of tea.

"You are dismissed," went the cool tones of the noble.

"You know, Bya-kun," Ukitake mused after the servant was gone, taking a sip of the top grade green tea, "Christmas isn't just a time for giving and gathering. It's also a time of reflecting and forgiving."

Silence followed, only interrupted by the movement of the bamboo and flow of the water.

Placing a hand on the noble's slim shoulder, the white haired Captain continued, "It's time to forgive yourself for being unable to save Hisana."

Only the trained eye would be able to spot the slight tremble in the noble's hands and the sorrow in his eyes. Green eyes watching silently, Ukitake only spoke again after the cup had been returned to the table.

"It is time to let go. You know you did everything you could. She left in peace and if she had still been here, she would have been delighted with Rukia."

The black haired noble filled his cup, before raising it towards the sky, watching as the smoke drifted away, along with the gentle breeze. Setting it back onto the small table, he spoke, seeming to struggle to find the words. "I… will… try to."

Patting the noble's shoulder, Ukitake repeated the same gesture with his cup. "It is a pity that this isn't sake." Pausing for a moment, he continued, melancholy evident in his tone. "Kaien… I'm sorry. I know you'd laugh and say there wasn't a need to, but I'm sorry. Also, thank you."

Smiling a faint smile, Ukitake shifted his table next to Byakuya's before bringing his shoulder against the other Captain's. Setting the box of confectioneries on the table, he opened it and took one, biting into it before taking a sip of the tea.

Moments later, he felt a weight on his shoulders. Turning slightly, his green eyes caught sight of the noble's relaxed features as a faint smile met his.

They sat like that undisturbed for the rest of the afternoon, watching the warm sunlight play on green leaves and sparkling white snow.


	5. Holiday Plans

**Holiday Plans** - ByaRen Pairing**  
**

"Taicho, I've arranged for our leave and your replacement."

Raising one black eyebrow at the sudden announcement from his Lieutenant in their office, Byakuya asked coolly, "And when did I give you permission to do so, Abarai?"

"You said I could plan for a short trip and I decided that Christmas would be a good time, since it is Christmas after all. We'll only be away for two days and Hitsugaya-taicho has already agreed to stand in for you in your absence."

'_Christmas?'_ Even as he wondered what his Lieutenant had planned, Byakuya continued, "I would appreciate if you could give me more notice if there is another time you will do this. You are lucky that there is nothing urgent at the moment. When are we leaving?"

"In two days, Taicho."

"Hn. Is there anything I need to prepare?"

"No. Everything has been taken care of."

Early in the morning two days later, they found themselves waiting at the Senkaimon with the white haired Captain.

"Thank you for agreeing to supervise the Sixth in my absence, Hitsugaya-taicho."

"That is not a problem, Kuchiki-taicho. Kurosaki will be joining me and the two of us should be enough to deal with any problems, even with Matsumoto remaining at the Tenth."

The black haired noble inclined his head slightly in a gesture of gratitude and watched as the gate opened to reveal the orange haired substitute. "Hey, Renji, Byakuya, Tosh'," came the greeting which the noble pointedly ignored.

Instead, he watched as the substitute gave a 'thumbs-up' sign to his Lieutenant before leaving with the white haired Captain.

"Kuchiki-taicho, Abarai-fukutaicho, the gate has been prepared for your departure."

Nodding absently to the masked guard in charge, the noble stepped through, his Lieutenant following behind. Not surprisingly, the gate opened into Urahara's shop, with the former Captain there himself to greet them.

"Abarai, here are your gigai. Ichigo asked me to pass these to you as well." Byakuya noted the sheaf of papers that the redhead took after he entered his gigai and slipped into his gigai as well. He had done some brief reading about Christmas and had Rukia as well; it however had not been adequate preparation for the chaos that he was to be put through.

"Tell me again, Abarai, why are we in this crowd?" Dressed in a white sweater and scarf over a black top, fitting black jeans and sneakers of both colours, he was a monochromatic contrast to the colourful outfit of his Lieutenant.

"I apologise, Taicho, but this happens to be the best way to the concert hall. I got us tickets to a matinee of Christmas classics. I was thinking that you'd enjoy it." The redhead, purple down jacket over a blue chequered shirt, black jeans and yellow sneakers, winced slightly at the look of disapproval. "It's just down the corner."

Soon enough, they had entered the concert hall and the noble found himself enjoying the sounds of the orchestra, the concert passing in no time at all. He did note that his Lieutenant seemed slightly bored at times and wondered if the concert had been planned just for him.

After the concert, Renji had brought him to yet another place. Despite having to tread through the bustling crowds, the redhead's enthusiasm had been contagious and the noble found himself enjoying his lover's incessant chatter and random observations as they took the subway then walked.

A faint smile crossed his lips when he spotted Renji's surprised reaction as the lift sped upwards quickly in what he called the Tokyo Tower. After they had reached the first observatory deck, his Lieutenant confronted him. "Taicho, you were surprised. Don't deny it."

"…maybe." Replying in his usual cool, non-committal manner, he then turned and headed to the windows, wanting to see what was so interesting about the view.

"Well, I specially got tickets during this period, so we could see both the day view and the night view. Look, the sun's setting." After finding a spot with a good view, they had stopped and gazed down at the numerous buildings beneath them, watching and waiting as the orange orb in the horizon slowly descended.

It was a gradual change, but when the sky was fully dark, the sight that greeted them was a multitude of bright lights, scattered all over the ground as far as they could see. "That's so cool."

"…Hn." In fact, he was amazed, astounded that the humans had achieved so much. That his Lieutenant's plan seemed to be perfect also surprised him.

"Well, it's dinner first, then the Christmas light up before we head to the hotel." Renji informed him as they took the lift down, the both of them enjoying the speed of the rapid descent.

He had been impressed by the dinner – it was French, Renji had said. Even though the subsequent throngs of crowds had bothered him, he had taken delight in the redhead's amazement at the bright and colourful lighting. In particular, he had noticed the sparkle in his Lieutenant's brown eyes every time he caught sight of a man in a red hat and suit entertaining children.

'_Santa Claus,'_ his memory had supplied. _'A myth or folktale, he is supposed to give presents and grant children's wishes during Christmas.'_ It had not taken the Captain long to work out why his Lieutenant was delighted by the sight – it had to do with his childhood.

Later that night, they exchanged a passionate kiss in the hotel lobby beneath the mistletoe before checking in. Apparently, it was customary to do so, even though they had garnered quite a few glances from the crowd.

Tired after the travelling and walking they had done, they retired early for the night. He slept soundly, wrapped in Renji's warm embrace.

The next morning, he was awakened by his Lieutenant running his long fingers through his black hair. "Morning, Byakuya. I've ordered breakfast for both of us. Merry Christmas!"

After his morning routine and their breakfast, Renji surprised him again with a gift. "Erm… Byakuya, I got this for you," the redhead handed over a small rectangular present, neatly wrapped. "I hope you like it."

"Should I open it now?"

"Go ahead," he smiled.

Given permission to go ahead, he found himself cautious at not knowing the rules, Byakuya unwrapped the package slowly, not used to the transparent sticky tape that held the paper together.

It was a book of poetry. Opening it to the first page, he read the first poem and nodded his head, appreciating the rhyme and imagery. "Thank you, Renji." _'It is expected for family and friends to exchange gifts on Christmas Day.'_ At the prompt from his mind, the noble suddenly felt inadequate. _'A gift? What would be suitable for Renji?'_

Leaving the hotel, they braved the crowds again, headed for a temple this time._ 'A temple, a place of worship of the gods the humans believe in.'_ His memory prompted helpfully as they wandered around the ancient temple. They were both fascinated by the architecture, though Renji had been drawn to other things on the temple grounds.

They made a brief stop at the shop selling charms, where he had caught the redhead gazing at a particular group of charms, before Renji had dragged him off, smelling food. "Taicho, look, there's taiyaki!"

Byakuya nodded, a faint smile breaking out at his Lieutenant's eagerness to queue for his favourite food, before deciding to return to the shop with charms, getting a gift to Renji still on his mind. "I'll look around and meet you back here in ten minutes."

Leaving the redhead to the queue, the noble walked quickly to the shop and stared at the charms, wondering what exactly the group of charms his Lieutenant had been looking at were for.

"Excuse me, can I help?" An elderly lady asked, catching his eye.

"This. What are these for?"

"These are en-musubi omamori. They are for an everlasting relationship, one for each of the couple, sir."

Picking out a white one for himself and a red one for his partner, Byakuya paid the lady and smiled faintly as he tucked them into his pocket. Somehow, he felt more at ease, despite how small the gift was.

Returning back to the area with the food stalls, he ventured down the row of stalls before spotting his Lieutenant, munching on a piece of taiyaki, and holding another in his hand.

"Taicho, would you like some?" Renji asked.

"It's fine. I'm still full from breakfast. You can have it."

"Oh okay. This is really nice." The Lieutenant continued munching, starting on his second with a grin plastered on his face.

They stopped by a museum and had lunch, Japanese this time, on the way back to the subway before changing and taking a train back to Karakura. By the time they returned to Soul Society, it was late afternoon.

Making their way back to the Kuchiki residence – Renji had moved in with him after they had gotten together some time after the Winter War, the noble clutched the omamori in one hand and the book of poetry in the other, deciding to look for a suitable opportunity to give his gift before they slept.

After an early dinner and baths, they had retired to their room. "Renji, I'm… sorry for not having a gift for you earlier. Merry Christmas!" Taking out the omamori he had bought earlier, he held it out to the redhead and to his surprise, felt his cheeks turn slightly hot.

"The white one's mine and the red one is for you. Thank you for the trip." _'I'm Kuchiki Byakuya; I shouldn't be blushing.'_ Despite concentrating on that thought however, he could not stop himself as the redhead took the red one from his hand, before pulling him into an embrace.

'_It really is as red as your hair… White and red – everlasting.'_ He leaned into the hungry kiss as soft lips met his; the rest of the night was all pleasure and sweetness.


End file.
